Patricia Conte: Veggie Pizza with Cornmeal Crust (GF)

I’ve never met anyone who didn’t like pizza! It’s certainly convenient to order delivery, and I definitely have a local favorite pizza shop that makes life easy when there is nothing cooking in my kitchen. But when I can, I also like to make my own pizza, from the crust up! A cornmeal pizza crust isn’t standard, but it makes this recipe special.

Use whatever toppings you like for this recipe. Right now the markets are overflowing with zucchini and peppers, so that is what topped this vegetarian pizza. I used prepared tomato sauce, shredded the zucchini, thinly sliced the red pepper and added mozzarella cheese to the top.

For the crust I modified a Martha Stewart recipe, and used Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-free Cornmeal and Gluten-free All-purpose Baking Flour. If you’re careful about your ingredients, this could easily make a great gluten-free pizza.

The recipe yields the perfect amount of pizza dough for either two, 6-inch personal pies, or one 12-14-inch pizza. You can even make the dough ahead of time and refrigerate it to use the following day.

If you’re looking for a thick, sink-your-teeth-into-the-dough pizza, this one isn’t for you. Instead, this is a thin, crisp crust made from cornmeal baked on a pizza stone. I hope you enjoy it!

– Add the warm water to a small bowl and sprinkle the yeast and sugar over it. Let it stand for about 10 minutes, until the yeast is dissolved and it’s foamy.

– Add the flour, cornmeal and salt to a large bowl. Make a well in the center of the mixture and add the yeast mixture and oil. Slowly stir the ingredients together with a wooden spoon until the dough comes together. Turn out the dough to a lightly floured work surface and knead it for several minutes until it’s smooth.

– If you’re making two personal pizzas, divide the dough into two balls and use two bowls. Add the dough to a shallow oiled bowl and turn it to coat. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and allow it to sit at room temperature for about an hour. You can also keep it in the refrigerator overnight.

– Preheat your oven to 500 degrees F. with the pizza stone on the lowest rack. When the dough is ready, stretch it out into either two rounds (for the personal pizzas) or one.

– Sprinkle some cornmeal onto a pizza peel (or use the bottom of a baking sheet if you don’t have a pizza peel). Place the dough on top and cover with sauce and your toppings.

– Slide the dough onto the pizza stone and bake until the crust is crisp and the cheese is bubbly, about 7-10 minutes, checking frequently. Serve warm.

Patricia is an independent writer with a passion for cooking and for food. It should come as no surprise, therefore, that among the subject matter she writes about, food is a regular topic. You can follow her on Twitter at @PatriciaConte. (http://twitter.com/#!/patriciaconte)